ICS blog

For three days I never left the complex in the capital of Malawi but on the fourth I had my baptism of fire. A two-minute meander took me and my fellow UK volunteers into a busy market. I could feel nearly every eye in this hub of activity on my party and never have I been so acutely aware of my every movement. It was my intention not to appear in any way disrespectful and not to appear overly amazed by my new surroundings. I thought, at the time, there was varying reactions from the people ranging from curiosity and surprise to animosity. 

The first week of cycle 16 has been spent settling in to our new life for the next 10 weeks. Adjusting to a new lifestyle is something most young people rarely experience, if at all. It is easy to go your whole life comfortably without introducing yourself to a new culture, and a new way of life. Before you have experienced this change, you expect a difficult adjustment and to miss how life was before. However, in El Bramadero, Nicaragua, this has not been the case. Ever since we stepped foot in our host community, we felt welcomed from the start.

Esta semana nuevos britanicos llegaron a la comunidad, todos muy felices de conocer a los nuevos voluntarios, anciosos por conocer lo que les gusta y lo que no les gusta. Ese día tuvimos mucho apoyo de la comunidad, todos deciosos por conocer las edades de los britanicos, todos muy amables nos brindaron sus edades y sus nombres.

Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.

Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.

Why volunteer? Why send yourself half way around the world, live in an unfamiliar country and work alongside a group of people you have never met before? I have been asked these kinds of questions many times since I returned from Zimbabwe earlier this year, and in truth I have no simple answer. Why did I go? And what lessons, if any, have I learnt from my three months volunteering?

Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.

Gertrude Manzini is a married, 34-year-old woman with three children, who has benefitted greatly from the sessions the ICS programme has delivered in Mutasa, in particular with regards to gender issues. 

Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.

Our April - June 2016 cycle of volunteers in Zimbabwe were the last cycle to work alongside partner organisation Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP) after four years. The team have complied a series of case studies demonstrating the impact the ICS programme has had in Mutasa.

Wellington Sibande took part in Progressio ICS first as a volunteer, from July to September 2015, and later as a Team Leader in Mzuzu, Malawi, from October to December 2015. Following his ICS experience, he was invited to speak at the Girls Education Forum in London, which took place on 7 July. 

What inspired you to become an ICS volunteer/Team Leader? 

I wanted to improve my leadership skills, lead a group of people with different backgrounds and diverse cultures, work cross-culturally, make new friends, gain public speaking skills and learn.